Turmoil
by AnthyRose
Summary: Seto Kaiba. Cold, Calculating, and Cruel. His only feelings exist toward his little brother Mokuba. But what if Mokuba DIDN'T exist? What would Seto have then? A story of love, betrayal, fate and past life. This is the story of Seto Kaiba...
1. Prologue

_Once there was a little boy, so full of light and joy  
He loved life and his family; he couldn't ask for more.  
One day hi smom got pregnant, and he was very glad.  
He'd have a little brother, to share with mom and dad._

_But one day something happened; a day he won't forget.  
His mom flew up to heaven, and took his brother with her.  
Suddenly the sun never seemed to shine the same again,  
Alone without his mom and brother; it was just his dad and him._

_But then something else happened; a thing that changed his life:  
His daddy had an accident; suddenly life didn't seem so bright.  
And then some people came and took the lonely boy away  
To a place with other little kids who had nowhere to stay._

_And the little boy realized that life wasn't very bright.  
It gave its share of happiness, but there was always still a price._

**Disclaimer: I do not own Yu-Gi-Oh! Just the fic and the poem. (both a product of my imagination.**

o

His cold blue eyes scanned the dark figure before him.

_Pathetic. _

The girl couldn't even meet his _gaze_ without flinching; what made her think that she could handle being his personal secretary? He straightened, his eyes glaring holes into the girl's lowered eye lids. Lids that held long, thick lashes resting against dark skin. She definitely wasn't from around here...any fool could see.

_A foreigner_, he mused with a scowl. They faced each other in silence for a few minutes until Kaiba began to grow impatient.

"_Well?!_," he snapped angrily. He didn't have time for this. Every minute wasted resulted in lost revenues, stock drops, money losses...all sorts of uncorrectable imbalances. The girl glanced up, startled, revealing velvet brown eyes. She fidgeted, twisting at her hands nervously, a strand of wavy dark hair falling into her face.

"I-I'm sorry...I didn't realize you were waiting for me to speak-"

"Well what did you _think_ I was waiting for?," he replied coldly, wondering again why he was wasting his time with this idiot.

She looked flustered, and he could faintly make out a blush lining her dark skin.

"I thought I was supposed to just stand here and look down or something..." he made a noise of annoyance. No doubt she had purchased one of those 'How to be Japanese' etiquette books. Foreigners always did, and always got it wrong, to boot. And her choppy, halting accent was beginning to work his nerves.

"Look," he exclaimed impatiently, "I _can_ speak English, so let's skip the formalities. _For now_, at least." She looked suddenly relieved, throwing him a grateful smile. He frowned, making made a mental note not to make things this easy for her in the future. Wouldn't want her getting _too_ comfortable with him.

He himself didn't like the idea of having his own secretary. He liked privacy, and the thought of someone working this closely to him thoroughly disgusted and repulsed him. But he ultimately had no choice. With the sudden death of his father, the title of CEO had been thrust upon him immediately, and all at once he'd found himself swamped with paperwork, appointments, interviews. There was no possible way for him to keep up with both his school work AND his company, and as the head of a billion dollar enterprise, the heat was on him to keep his straight A record.

And so he'd grudgingly submitted to the advice of his advisors, and had begun interviewing possible secretarial candidates; all whom of which he'd found a flaw.

The first had been too eager, which had immediately aroused his suspicions. He didn't like eager people, for obvious reasons. The second had been too old. It had disgusted him to even watch the old bat _talk_. He didn't think he could tolerate seeing that wrinkled old face every day. The rest had just been...wrong. Not that there had been anything TECHNICALLY wrong with them, he just hadn't wanted to be bothered, hadn't wanted to consider them. But now, after a week of refusals, he was down to the last interview, and he realized that if he wanted to gain the respect of his workers, of his advisors, he'd _have_ to choose someone. Even his late adopted-father had had secretaries...

He turned his attention back to the girl. What was her name again? Nadie? Nadia? He cringed. It was such an _American_ sounding name. American's had a reputation for slacking off in the workplace. And everywhere else, truthfully. They were entirely too free spirited and didn't take anything seriously. He eyed her suspiciously, tuning in to whatever it was she was rambling on about.

"-just moved here from Georgia," she paused, "...um..that's in the United Sta-"

"I know where Georgia is!," he snapped. Did she think he was stupid?

She nodded slowly, biting her lip.

"Um…anyways...I can work for you after schools and on weekends. I'll be starting school tomorrow morning." She flashed him a bright and brilliant smile, but he only frowned. So she was excited to be starting a new school, eh? Well. She had better know how to balance academics and a job, because there would be no time for a social life. Not if _he_ had anything to say about it. He would make her earn every cent he paid her. It occurred to him that would probably be better to hire someone older; someone who _wasn't_ in school. Someone who could actually speak _fluent_ Japanese. Then again, it was probably a good idea to have someone on more or less the same schedule as he himself was on. And if she was his secretary there would be no need for her to speak fluent Japanese, since he could speak English. Then too it would prevent the formation of work cliques; if no one could understand her, they wouldn't be inclined to include her in any of their social circles. Seto disliked social circles. Not to mention that it would leave him with some form of control; his advisors would go crazy knowing that he'd chosen a school girl as his secretary. He could use that to his advantage, proving thereby that he didn't _need_ a secretary.

Because how useful could a school girl be to him?

Abruptly he stood, signaling the end of the interview. She looked surprised for a moment, and a bit afraid, he noticed wryly. He turned towards the huge window behind his desk, staring out at the clouds. He knew the suspense was probably eating away at her right about now.

And he liked it.

He liked to see people sweat, to see them uncomfortable before him. It accentuated his power. Drove further the fact that it was _he_ who held the cards. _He_ was in control.

But right now he couldn't stall, and as much as he enjoyed seeing her squirm, he had work to do.

"I'll expect you here at 4 o'clock sharp tomorrow afternoon. No later."

Silence.

And then, "Y-you mean I got it?," he didn't answer, and she let out a squeal of joy.

"Thank you so much! You don't know what this means to me! I mean, my family could really use the money and I-"

"You misunderstand."

He turned now, facing her, seeing her bright brown eyes dim slightly. She brushed at a locke of hair that had fallen into her eye and gave him a confused look.

"I don't care about you _or_ your family. My only concern is that you don't run my company down-hill by your _obvious_ inexperience." he said it coldly and with distaste, throwing in a narrowed eyed glare for extra emphasis. Her eyes went wide, wider than they already were, and for a moment he thought she would cry. But she only nodded, her slim figure backing away, tripping slightly over her black pumps and running out the door.

He turned back to the window, gazing again at the drifting clouds and the sky. A dark blue sky, as dark as a blue ocean; a deep clear color the same as his eyes. The same sky his father must have seen while falling to his death. That same calm blue sky with its ever changing moods. Just like the ocean. Just like _him_.

He smiled, but the expression held no warmth.

o

A/N: This is the 'edited' version of _Turmoil_, 5-3-09. The original was published 5-31-02. That's a 7 year difference! I've tried to keep it as original as possible, only correcting spelling errors, taking out unnecessary banter, and deleting pointless A/N's. I am reluctant to touch anything because admittedly my writing style has changed. Not by much, but it's definitely more descriptive and rambly than this fic was. This fic marks my first real jaunt into OC territory. I'd wanted to spread my wings, to do something _besides_ the SM/Crossover fics I was mostly known for at the time. In many ways it was (at the time) a success, as up until this particular story I'd never really tried my hands at such. Comments are welcome and loved, of course!


	2. First days and New beginnings

_The little boy was growing. He's not so little now.  
He grew inside himself through time, never let his feelings out.  
He kept his grief and anger locked within him deep inside.  
He never let the grownups know; never let them see him cry._

_His happy light had faded, his joy now but a dream  
His young, warm, cobalt wide blue eyes  
Were now just bleak and mean._

_He'd learned the hard way not to trust  
or let feelings make him glad,  
for everyone just left you;  
they left you feeling sad._

o

He couldn't believe it. _Refused_ to believe it.

But his eyes didn't lie, and there she was, that same girl he'd interviewed yesterday. Nadie Epps. Or _Nadia_, as the instructor had called her. He had not figured she'd enroll to _this_ school, to Domino High of all places. But there was no mistaking it, even though she wasn't wearing the black skirt and white blouse she'd worn yesterday to the interview. Now she was dressed in the typical school uniform for girls, blue skirt with the standard pink jacket and bow. But there was no denying the fact that she stood out. Compared to the other fair skinned students, himself included, she looked dark and exotic and wild, coffee brown skin, dark brown eyes, and dark unruly hair which he could see was more brown toned in the light. She looked, in effect, as though she'd come straight from the Mediterranean or Northern Africa. She hadn't seen him yet, eyes glued shyly to the floor. But she had a small smile on her face as if she were happy to be there.

He scoffed.

What the hell was so special about this place anyway? It was just a school...no better and no worse than any other school in the district, he supposed. He caught the curious gaze of the other students. Unlike himself, who regularly dealt with foreigners or business transactions, they'd never seen an actual American before, and their faces shone with open and unconcealed curiosity as the teacher directed her to the last available chair in the class, near the back and right next to...

Ryou Bakura.

Across from him, he could see the disappointed look of Katsuya Jonouchi. Jonouchi, who'd looked insanely happy at the prospect of a new student. A new _girl_, of whom he could possibly persuade to be his girlfriend. Kaiba rolled his eyes. The Neanderthal was happy with _any_ girl who gave him even the slightest attention. He turned his head, staring at the blackboard. What that girl did in her free time was her own business. As long as she got to work on time and stayed away from _him_. Just because she _worked_ for him didn't mean he had to socialize with her in school.

He glanced away from the blackboard, opening his novel and tuning everything out. He didn't need this class. He excelled in Science and Mathematics, got A's without even trying. It was all child's play to him. The only reason he even bothered with school was because there was no way to get out of it, legally. And one of the clauses of him running the company stated that he had to at least graduate. It was one of the things he barely tolerated and certainly did not enjoy, but that couldn't be helped.

By the end of the class, after the excitement of having a foreign student had settled down, everyone gathered into their separate groups for lunch. He stood, not looking anyone in the eye, and strode from the room. He never ate lunch here. He wouldn't be caught dead with these nobodies. He walked out the door of the building and across the yard over to the blue- green sedan that waited at the entrance of the school every day. Leaving the grounds was against school rules, but no one ever bothered saying anything to him about it. After all; He was Seto Kaiba. The only valuble person this school had to offer. If they lost him, if they _offended_ him, a multi-millionaire shareholder and CEO, they'd also bring about torrents of bad publicity for their school. Perhaps this was why they never questioned him. The driver shut the car door behind him before pulling away from the curb. "Good afternoon, Mr. Kaiba," he greeted solemnly. Kaiba gave a curt nod in return.

"Same place, boss?" the man asked obediently.

"Yes." Kaiba replied coolly. Every day he ate lunch at the small cafe near the end of the block. It was quiet, calm, and nobody bothered him...just the way he preferred to keep it.

O

The students gathered around her curiously, asking various questions.

She was flustered; she'd never been the center of attention before and it was very unnerving. They talked in fast excited voices- voices she could barely decipher. She could speak Japanese, but not _this_ fluently. She answered their questions as short and as quickly as she could, and after a moment the curious teens drifted away. No doubt they thought she was rude; one of those loners who thought they were just too good to associate with anyone. She felt a surge of regret. She wanted to call out to them, to bring them back, to explain that she wasn't like that at all. They had just been trying to be friendly— but her voice caught in her throat, and she couldn't bring herself to say anything.

"Don't worry. It'll wear off soon enough."

She turned her head sharply to her right, glancing at the boy beside her. He had a wealth of white blond hair which fell in chunky layers around his face and shoulders. His large brown eyes held a serene calmness as she stared at him, startled.

"I...I thought everyone was gone..," she whispered slowly. He smiled. A shy, friendly sort of smile.

"It's ok," he said again, "I just transferred here a few months ago as well," he spoke as if that explained everything. "They'll lose interest soon…then you'll be just like everyone else. An ordinary person."

She couldn't stop the look of disappointment that slipped onto her face. He looked puzzled.

"...Don't you _want_ to be like everyone else?" She blushed, then. It was stupid. Of course she wanted to be like everyone else! She certainly didn't want to stand out, to draw any unnecessary attention to herself. But to know that they were just interested in her because she was new...because she was nothing special...

"Are you alright?" She looked up. She hadn't realized he'd been waiting for an answer. She forced a smile on her face. "Fine...just fine." He seemed to accept her answer, reaching out a slim hand.

"I'm Ryou. Nice to meet you."

She gaped at him in shock. She'd been prepared to do a lot of bowing, but hadn't expected anyone to offer a hand shake. Then again, this boy didn't seem as if he were even _from_ Japan. He had a slight accent, which was hard for her to identify since he was speaking in Japanese. He'd said something about being a transfer student though, hadn't he?

She took his hand, grasping it lightly. He had small, almost effeminate fingers similar to her own. His nails were low, as if he bit them frequently.

"I'm Nadia," she offered, smiling nervously.

The boy smiled again, and she wondered what he could possibly be so happy about. He stood suddenly, pushing his chair in carefully, neatly, and grabbing a thin paper bag.

"Well, we'd better get going or we'll miss our lunch." She nodded mutely, staring reflectively at his back. He hadn't seemed curious about her; just politely inquisitive, not at all excited about her arrival. She suddenly smiled. Maybe it wouldn't be so bad, being an ordinary person. She'd looked forward to starting a new school in the hopes of starting over, making new friends. They tended to move a lot because of her father's work, but he'd promised the family that they were here to stay. Finally. She'd get a chance to get to know people, to make friends. People were curious about her, yes, but she hadn't had a real conversation with anyone as of yet; more along the lines of playing twenty questions, that is, of answering the questions they fired at her. Except with that Ryou guy. He seemed subdued and mellow, a kind face in the midst of the excitement of the other students. She looked up suddenly to find that she was alone.

_CRAP!_

_Now_ what was she supposed to do?! She grabbed the lunch box her mother had persuaded her to bring, a childish plastic thing from the younger days of her SpongeBob obsession - and dashed out the door, barely catching sight of his figure as he rounded the corner up ahead. _Where was he going?_ She stepped around the corner, glossy black Mary-Janes clicking against the hard floor.

He was gone. Briefly, her heart sank.

But there was only one place he _could_ have gone.

She pushed open the wide double doors and stepped out hesitantly into the sunshine. She hated the outdoors, hated the bugs and the heat and the dirt; hated sweating. But then again, she hated the thought of eating alone even more. Various students seemed to be out here, eating, goofing off, or both. She kept her eyes glued to the ground as she followed Ryou's descending form. He was headed towards a lone tree, at the far end of the yard.

There was no time for embarrassment as she dropped awkwardly down beside him. He looked surprised.

"Oh...I'm sorry," he said, actually looking apologetic, "I didn't realize you were behind me." She nodded.

"Do you mind if I sit here?," she tried to sound nonchalant, casual, but it came out as sulky and impatient. He didn't seem to notice.

"No, no. Go right ahead."

And that was the last thing he said.

He seemed to draw into himself, looking thoughtfully off into the distance and eating some sort of noodles from a bowl. She sighed. Perhaps his politeness had been just that. Politeness. It hadn't meant anything. It hadn't been an offer of friendship. And now he probably felt obligated to eat with her today. He seemed to enjoy being alone, or used to it. She shrugged it off, biting viciously into her ham and cheese sandwich.

The rest of the afternoon weighed heavily upon her; the constant interpreting of foreign words, the constant effort to enunciate her words so that her southern accent didn't render them unrecognizable. The constant bowing, of remembering the correct suffixes attached to the names of people she didn't know… By the end of the day, her nerves were stretched thin, and she ready to head home for a nap. At dismissal, she was walking slowly from the building, nursing a slight headache when she suddenly remembered.

Work.

_Oh crap. _

She panicked. She'd _completely_ forgotten! She flew out the door, running full speed down the street. The school had let out at 3:45...she'd never make it! KaibaCorp was more than four blocks away, and his office well above the first ten floors.

_Please oh please... _

She stepped into his office at 4:03.

He was standing at his desk, glaring.

"Where have you been?! Do you know how long I've been standing here waiting?!" She couldn't speak, was too busy trying to catch her breath. She'd ran the whole way there, and her lungs felt as though they were about to explode.

Kaiba regarded her with cold eyes.

"I'm a very busy man, Ms. Epps. Perhaps you should consider other job options if you plan on making this a habit." he spoke calmly, as if he were undisputedly right. As if she'd been 20 minutes late, instead of three.

She finally caught her breath.

"I'm _sorry_! I mean, the school's pretty far from here...I came as soon as- " Wait a minute..._three minutes_?! _Three lousy minutes and he had gone ballistic?!_

He sighed impatiently, thrusting a thick folder in her direction.

"Sort these out by subject."

She sighed in relief. That was all? She'd been expecting some large impossible task, but perhaps the man had a heart after all. She'd surely be done by the end of the hour, at least. She came forward smiling in relief, and thought she saw the corner of his lips twist upward in amusement.

"And those as well." He gestured to a pile of other folders to his left on the floor against his desk. A _high_ pile. A pile that came almost up to her knees. She swallowed.

_Ok. No biggie. It won't take long. You're just sorting them by subject anyway. How hard can it be? _

"On second thought, I'd like for them to be sorted _alphabetically_, as well."

She nearly choked. Okay, now she was _sure_ of it. A ghost of a smirk was playing at his lips, and he had an odd glint in his eye. And something else. Something that dared her to refuse.

She didn't.

With an inward sigh of resignation, she plopped down on the floor, setting her school bag and lunch box down and flipping noisily through the folder in her hand. She heard an irritated sigh above her head.

"Not down there, you _idiot_! I can't concentrate with all that noise." She bristled at the insult. Certainly bosses weren't supposed to call their employees names, were they? Wasn't that sort of thing against the law? She'd only ever worked at McDonalds before this, but even _they_ had stopped short of actual _name calling. _Still, it was her first day of work. And this was Japan, after all. Who knew what sort of behavior was acceptable here?

"...did you want me to move?," she asked stupidly, and immediately regretted it.

"How..._perceptive_ of you." he replied dryly, those dark blue eyes intent on her face. So she rose clumsily to her feet, balancing an arm load of the folders and retreating to the far end of the room. At least, she _hoped_ that was what he meant. He hadn't said anything about her getting her own office. He could at least offer her a chair or something.

He didn't.

He just stood there, scowling watching her lift and struggle under the papers without offering to help.

"Can't you move any faster?"

She bit back the urge to tell him to shut up. If he wanted it done quicker then why didn't he help her? She had been hired as a secretary; she hadn't realized manual labor came with the deal.

"I'm sorry," she gasped, "but these folders are _heavy_..."

"I'm sure they are."

She frowned. Was he _deliberately_ trying to get a reaction out of her? She glanced back at him with glare, nearly dropping her load when she saw that he was glaring back.

Geez…_what was his problem?!_

She could tell it was going to be a long night.

o

Comments would be loved and adored!


	3. Duel

_The place was like a daycare, with children everywhere.  
He shared a room with six small boys who all seemed very scared.  
Their parents all had left them, they had no place to go  
They were all the same, these children,  
alone and without hope._

_They sometimes tried to talk with him,  
They sometimes tried to play  
But he would never take the time to hear the things they'd say._

_He WANTED to be lonely.  
He WANTED to be sad.  
Maybe then he would feel better…_

_But right now he just felt mad._

O

She walked into homeroom that morning feeling tired and unfulfilled.

_Damn that Kaiba!_ she thought angrily. It had been nearly eleven by the time she'd finished his blasted sorting. Almost seven hours later. Even _then_ he'd seemed reluctant to let her go until he noticed how exhausted and out of sorts she'd looked. She hadn't eaten since her lunch at school, and she'd felt as though she were literally two seconds away from fainting.

"Fine then!" he'd exclaimed irritated. "Just go. It's obvious you won't be any help to me in _this_ condition."

And he'd disgustedly let her leave. She should have been relieved at the dismissal; instead she found herself feeling small and insignificant. It was fast becoming obvious that her boss was not a nice man. Not that he'd been being nice as she later realized. It had been pitch black when she'd gotten outside, and she'd had to walk home by herself in the dark, in an unfamiliar country, which had been no great experience. To make matters worse, her parents and little brother were all asleep by the time she got home, so she had no one to tell about her first day of work and school.

She just hoped it wouldn't be like that _every day_.

She took her seat next to Ryou, who was gazing dreamily out the window. Everyone else was either in groups or gathered around tables talking. Yawning, she put her head on her desk and closed her eyes. At least she'd get to doze a bit before class, she thought wearily.

No such luck.

She was startled awake by a faint cry beside her, and without getting up, she peeked through her tendrils of wavy hair. She should have known she wouldn't get any sleep _here_ of all places. Back in the US, in Georgia, the students would gather in the hallways and at their lockers to socialize, making a mad dash for the classroom at the sound of the bell. Here, the students seemed to congregate in the classroom, and the hallways were all but bare. It was…strange. The students here seemed to take things a lot more seriously than her classmates back in the US, and were, in many ways, more mature and eager to learn.

Still what she saw through her strands of hair unsettled her. Surrounding Ryou's desk were three large boys. Three intimidatingly large boys. There were talking to the pale boy in hushed tones, completely masking his slight form by their bodies. After a moment she closed her eyes again, unconcerned. They were probably just his friends. Or maybe he was doing a project with them in another class or something. Regardless, it wasn't any of _her_ business, she thought grumpily. He'd made it clear that he wasn't after her friendship. After a few moments, the boys drifted away, and she caught a glimpse of Ryou's face, peaked and as pale as his hair. He lowered his head, a curtain of albino locks hanging limply into his face.

She frowned, about to ask if he was okay when her peripheral vision caught sight of another person. He was across the room, about two rows ahead of her own.

_But it __**can't**__ be…! _

His face was profiled, staring down into a novel, but there was no mistaking that straight rigid outline, the chestnut hair that curled boyishly at the nape of his neck. As if sensing her stare he glanced up, cobalt blue eyes assessing her calmly before going dismissively back to his book.

_Mr. Kaiba?! _

He was a student. A _child_, perhaps a year or two older than herself. She felt anger well up inside her like smoke, clouding her dark eyes. Her boss, arrogant, mean boss was…a student? Certainly he had looked young. The fact had not escaped her during the interview. She'd assumed he was just one of those men who aged well, who was perhaps in his mid twenties or so. Or something. Never could she have imagined _this_…! It made her angry, _furious_ even, to know that some sixteen year old _kid_ had the legal right to order her around, to treat her like crap. Which was what he was- _a kid_. No matter how old he acted, how mature he seemed to appear, he was just a kid. Just like her.

_What kind of country __**is**__ this?_, she wondered crossly. And before she even realized what she was doing, she'd pushed back her chair, it's metal legs scraping roughly against the hard floor. Vaguely her mind issued out a warning, begged her not to bother him.

_You don't know what he's capable of...he could __**crush**__ you!_

And she knew it. Here was a man, a _boy_ who didn't play around. She could hear it in his voice, see it in his stance, in his _eyes_. In the snatches of phone conversation she'd heard from him. Heck, he scared her, truth be told, although she didn't know _why_. But still she maneuvered her way carefully around Ryou's desk, squeezed her small frame between the closely set desks and continued towards him.

Perhaps it was pride. She'd been born and breed in America, taught that everyone was equals. Taught to stand up to bullies, taught that she could do anything she set her mind to…She'd never had to take orders from a kid before, and no matter how much his actions belied the fact, that was what he was. A kid. Like her.

And she knew she would regret this moment.

Nadie stopped in front of his desk, hands stiffly clasped in front of her in the respectful Japanese gesture she'd seen the other females use. She forced a small smile onto her face, a smile that didn't reach her eyes.

"Hello Seto."

Not hello 'Seto-san' or 'Mr. Kaiba', or even Seto-kun. Just Seto. She was tired of all those suffixes. Besides, _She_ wasn't Japanese; why should she use them?

He didn't look up from his book, but she noticed with a certain satisfaction that his jaw seemed to clinch.

"Good morning," he murmured stiffly. She smiled.

"I didn't know _you_ went to this school! I didn't know you went to school at _all_. I mean, you just seem so much _older_ and stuff." he didn't answer, his face tightly controlled as he carefully turned a page. She felt giddy triumph bubble through her. He wasn't glaring or calling her stupid or doing _anything_. She wondered why. Did he just not want to make a scene? Or maybe he couldn't. Maybe in school, he had to act like a student. Maybe that was it. He _did_ have a reputation to uphold after all. It wouldn't do to have the world knowing you were some pricky bastard. But somehow she doubted that that would matter to him much.

She reached out a hand, tilting the book back to view its cover. Of course, it was written in japanese so she couldn't read it, but she pretended she could anyway. She made a polite noise of interest, and she could feel the air around her thicken with fury.

She almost laughed.

"I'm sorry," she exclaimed, eyes twinkling with mischief, "you just didn't strike me as the type to read that sort of thing." He couldn't fire her for just talking to him outside the workplace she was sure, and apparently he knew this. His grip tightened on the book, white knuckled and his blue eyes flashed up at her in icy rage. But suddenly they drooped, his fingers loosened, and the corners of his lips tugged upward into a smirk.

"That's funny," he replied softly closing the book, "because you struck me as _exactly_ the type to make senseless conversation."

She stared down at him with surprised indignation, and then his eyes lifted to her own. They were darker now, a strange shade, somewhere between cobalt and a deep smoky blue. They kind of blue the sky turned just before a terrible storm erupted. And there was no mistaking the cold glint in their depths, the icy acceptance that shone there. She had unconsciously challenged him.

And he'd accepted.

It didn't matter that she didn't know the rules of the game, that she was new to this territory. She was now a player, and she suddenly felt cold regret wash over her like a flood.

_Omigod_.

What had she done? She hadn't meant for this to happen…hadn't wanted to take it this far. What HAD she been thinking in the first place? All she remembered was anger at the fact that he could treat her like crap, despite being the same age. Anger and embarrassment. She'd been calling him SIR after all, and he had never corrected her, he had seemed to expect it, actually. But now she regretted it. She wanted to call back her words, wanted to call back _time_ so that this whole little confrontation of hers had never taken place. But hindsight was 20/20, and it was too late.

But _when_? _How_ had she lost control? And did she ever have it? She could almost read his thoughts, and looking down into his now coldly amused eyes, she guessed no.

Yes. She would pay dearly for this.

His eyes abruptly left her own and he stood, face going blank, as did the rest of the class. She heard the scrap of their chairs against the hard floor. But...when had everyone gotten back to their seats? Had time flown _that_ quickly? Her mind was in a muddle. In confusion she turned, meeting with the sharp gaze of the instructor.

He glared.

"Ms. Epps, please take your seat. And in the future, you are to be at your desk and _rise_ when I enter." his voice held firm resolution. Had she not been new, she probably would have gotten detention. She rushed back to her seat blushing, trying to ignore the low snickers and giggles around her.

"I- I'm sorry..I didn't know..."

The instructor sighed.

"Don't let it happen again. I won't tolerate disturbances."

She was glad when they left for first block.

She hurriedly gathered her things, all the while keeping her eyes carefully lowered. As she walked out the door she felt a sudden sharp tap on her shoulder.

Kaiba! Her mind screamed. But when she slowly turned to meet those cold blue eyes, a pair of mischievous hazel ones greeted her instead. Mischievous hazel eyes that were barely visible beneath unruly straw colored hair.

"Hey! New girl! You better watch out there, or you'll be as hated by the instructor as _I_ am!" And he'd laughed, sauntering lazily off into the crowd of students. She would have smiled if she hadn't felt so...doomed. Instead she only shook her head, hurrying for her next class. She couldn't afford another outing with a teacher.

She rushed in, choosing a seat near the front and settling in. She just hoped _he_ didn't walk in.

_You deserved it...you brought it on yourself!_ The thought did little to comfort her. She took out her book, preparing for another day of rhetorical writing. Fortunately writing was one of her favorite classes. _UN_fortunately, today she was far too strung up to enjoy it. The teacher shut the door and walked back over to the middle of the room, opening her mouth to speak when the door suddenly flew open, slamming against the wall. Nadie turned sharp eyes towards the figure in the door way...to a boy.

Not Kaiba, she noted with relief. It was that blonde guy from earlier. He looked sheepishly over at the teacher, who was freezing him with a death glare.

"I'm late." he stated simply and the class snickered.

"That's quite obvious Katsuya," she replied dryly." But _why_ are you late?" He shrugged, heading down the rows towards the back of the class.

"What was it _THIS_ time Jonouchi...?" the teacher continued in annoyance, "Was it the pirates? Or maybe the aliens abducted you again?" at this, the class erupted into full scale laughter. The boy didn't seem to mind though. Apparently this was normal.

"Nah," he exclaimed calmly, dropping lazily into a seat, "I just had to use the bathroom." The class roared even louder, and he blushed slightly, throwing a hand behind his neck in a gesture of innocent embarrassment. The teacher shook her head, throwing her hands into the air.

"I swear. If you weren't such a great writer..." He frowned.

"Hey! Not so loud. People could get the wrong idea!" he straightened in his chair.

"What…that there's actually a _brain_ in that head of yours?" another student replied. The class laughed again while the boy pretended to pout. Even Nadie smiled a bit. _That guy must be the class clown_. Obviously this class was less strict than the others. The environment was easy going, and everyone seemed relaxed. Even the teacher lacked the prim strictness of the other instructors. She left the class an hour later feeling considerably better. She didn't see Kaiba for the remainder of the period, and when it was time for lunch, she was actually looking forward to seeing Ryou. Granted he didn't talk much, but today she didn't feel much like talking anyway.

The tree was empty when she arrived, so she settled down and began on her sandwich. However, after about 10 minutes, she still hadn't seen the boy. Perhaps he didn't eat here every day. Maybe it was just a one time thing. She frowned. But that couldn't be right. He'd seemed so comfortable, so _used_ to sitting here.

_Maybe he just doesn't want to sit with me…_ The thought disappointed her. She hated to think that he was avoiding her, but it was obviously the case. Maybe he really _did_ like to be alone. She sighed, peaking down at her watch and standing. Her wonderful new life was beginning to go horribly bad.

As the school day drew to a close and the clock ticked closer and closer to 3:50, she felt dread fill her. She'd have to face Kaiba today. Not to mention run the entire way there. She wondered how Kaiba managed to get there so fast, considering the fact that he went to the same school as her. Maybe he got special permission to leave early or something. He _was_ rich. He probably had a car. She made a mental note to ride her bike tomorrow.

When the bell rang, she found herself walking slowly towards the exit. It was stupid, really. Why was she doing this to herself? The most he could possibly do to her was fire her, and that in itself wouldn't be such a loss...well, actually it _would_. It was the highest paying job she'd ever had, and probably the best job she would snag at any age in a foreign country. But with a boss from hell, was it really worth it?

She decided it was.

After all, what could he do? He had to abide by laws just like everyone else. He couldn't _physically_ hurt her… at least, she didn't think he could. He was just bluffing; trying to intimidate her.

And yet, that look in his eyes had been anything _but_ a bluff.

She decided to throw her resolution to the wind. It never got her anywhere. She'd just go and see what happened. If he fired her, she'd have the opportunity to tell him off, to tell him what she _really_ thought of him, the bastard. And if not, if he didn't fire her…well, then she'd definitely be more careful from now on. And with that, she sprinted the rest of the way there, pausing just outside his doorway to catch her breath. She wanted to seem as calm and collected as he did when she entered. Taking a deep breath, she opened the door and walked in.

It was empty.

She frowned. Had she walked in the wrong room? All the hallways and doors looked relatively the same on the upper floors. But looking over at his large redwood desk and the huge Stetson windows, she knew that this was it. But then, where _was_ he? Perhaps he was in a meeting or something. Or maybe he hadn't gotten back from school yet, though he didn't strike her as the type to be late for anything.

She had just begun to walk towards his desk when the door slammed shut behind her.

Startled, she spun around, meeting with those cold cobalt eyes. They were like an icy shock, like stepping into a cold shower early in the morning. They were darker now, she noted nervously. Much darker then they had appeared at the school. He studied her silently for a moment, his eyes never leaving her own.

It was strange; She'd expected him to yell, to rant, maybe fire her on the spot. But he did none of this. Just stood there in front of the door with an oddly blank expression on his face.

And then he smiled.

And suddenly she was very nervous.

o

A/N: Many thanks to Death 101 - Fox Version for pointing out the error on Jonouchi's eye color. The problem has been rectified. Thanks again!


	4. Expiation

_The little kids were leaving, all going one by one.  
Some grownups came to pick them up,  
They came to take them home._

They now became their parents,  
the kids new mom and dad.  
But he'd never let them take HIM off;  
He was too far gone, too sad.

He'd be alone forever. He'd figured out by now  
That all the ones he'd ever loved would always leave somehow  
He refused to be deserted; it wouldn't happen twice.  
He'd never let them in his heart, a heart now cold as ice.

O

Brown.

Her eyes were brown. Such an ordinary color; really quite average even, except for the tiny flecks of gold here and there. Someone else had had eyes close to that shade, he thought absently. Someone who'd sing him to sleep at night, someone whose voice he still remembered vaguely.

The thought struck him suddenly as he smiled now quietly at the girl. Well, not really _smiled_. Seto Kaiba _never_ smiled; At least, not in the traditional sense.

Her eyes were wide, and her breath came out in little panting gasps from her sprint to his office. The sudden sight of him must have startled her, because for a moment she looked afraid. But then she straightened, lips drawn in a thin, pursed line, eyes staring defiantly back. Do your worst , they seemed to say, except that her hands were shaking, legs poised to run in the most provocative mixture of boldness and fear. It was nice to know that his presence still invoked such an unnerving effect.

He took a step forward then, blue eyes still locked steadily with her own. He said nothing; didn't raise a finger at all in fact, but she still took a stumbling step back none-the-less.

_Are you afraid of me, Nadia?_ he wanted to ask. It was a pleasant thought. A _nice_ thought. He liked being in control. Liked having his employees under his thumb. What he didn't like, however, was insubordination.

It was intolerable.

It was _EXTINGUISHABLE_.

She would have to be punished. She _would_ be punished. She had to be taught, just like the rest of them. He'd worked too hard; come too far. He remembered a time back when-

But no. Those days were gone. It was different now. He would get the respect he deserved. The respect he'd _earned_.

He stopped short of her, about two feet away.

"I have a job for you, Ms. Epps."

Just a simple phrase; eight little words. And yet coming from him they meant so much MORE. The 'job' could mean anything within reason; BEYOND reason. He watched as her expression turned from one of wary apprehension to that of confused suspicion. But she _was_ his secretary after all. Surely she didn't expect to get away with doing _nothing_ all day?

The strange smile still on his face, he dug into the pocket of his school blazer, revealing a deck of what looked to be elaborately illustrated poker cards. Did he want to play a game? She frowned suspiciously at them.

"Um what d'you have in mind, Se- _Sir?_"

He smiled again, fondling the deck absently with long fingers, seeming completely unaffected by her apparent decision to call him 'Sir' again.

"Just a little...test. Nothing major." He shuffled the cards with deft, skillful hands. "I trust you have no objections?" an eyebrow raised in mock concern- or at least she figured it did. His hair fell well below his brow, making it difficult to tell.

Her mind was in a whirl. Object?! Of course she objected! Obviously he was up to something; that much was clear. But even so...this was still a job, right? She doubted he could do her any _physical_ harm... And if she refused, the most he could really do was fire her.

But if she got fired or quit, wouldn't that just prove she was afraid of him?

But...she _was_, wasn't she?

_God_. She regretted ever confronting him. Why couldn't she just mind her own business? She was always sticking her foot in her mouth-

And _what_ was with that deck? Did he intend on getting even with her by beating her at a game of cards? The thought struck her suddenly as funny...pathetic, really, and a nervous sort of giggle rose to her throat. He was watching her closely, hair falling neatly into his eyes. Perhaps he kept it that way on purpose, to make his expression more difficult to read. Whatever the reason, it was definitely working to his advantage, and before she realized it, she was shaking her head slowly.

"No. No objections."

She'd never been very good under peer pressure.

His eyes flashed, and he snapped the deck smartly into place.

"Good. Follow me." And he turned, heading for the door. Nadie followed nervously, growing more and more apprehensive. A thousand questions were exploding in her head. Like, why did they have to go to another room just to play cards? But she said nothing, only followed him wordlessly as he led her down the long corridor and to a pair of large double doors. After pausing to type in the security pad on the wall, the doors flew open, and he strode in without a moment's hesitation.

Nadie stayed put.

It was dark in there; she couldn't see _anything_, not even the form of her young boss. A draft of cool air wafted into her face, and she shuddered. The strangest image was forming in her head…as if she were walking straight into the den of a tiger... an _anxious_ tiger.

No. She wouldn't do it. She _couldn't_, and he couldn't make her. She'd turn around, hop on that elevator, and leave. Tomorrow she'd hand in her resignation and-

"Is there a problem, Ms. Epps?" She turned back towards the door. He was there, enveloped in shadow, tall form standing regally against the darkness. Something in those blue eyes froze her, and suddenly her decision, her stark resolution deteriorated in her throat. She couldn't talk; couldn't _speak_. It was as if she were frozen by some unspoken gesture of his. And so she only stared mutely into his stony face.

"I asked you a question."

_Forgive me_, she replied automatically, and realized too late that she'd said it out loud. It was wrong and definitely nothing _she'd_ ever say, no matter how easily the words had flown out. Her eyes shot up- when _had she lowered them?-_ casting a startled gaze on the boy standing before her and searching his expression for any sort of amusement.

There was none.

If anything, he looked suspicious, as if suspecting her of being a smart mouth. But he said nothing, merely turned away, walking further into the darkness as if he were used to things like this; as if it were perfectly normal to ask for his forgiveness. Light suddenly flooded the room, revealing an odd sort of arena. At least, that's the first thing that came to mind when she looked at it. It was about half the size of a football field and its green floor was lined with grid squares. The surrounding area resembled a sort of ancient colosseum, a stadium of sorts, with enough room to seat dozens of people in the stands.

But right now it was empty.

She turned her attention back to Kaiba to find him studying her once again.

It was unnerving; more than unnerving actually, that unblinking stare of his. He seemed to be waiting for some sort of reaction, but she only gazed back cluelessly. What did he want her to say? But in the next moment he spoke for her.

"As I'm sure you already know, one of the things KaibaCorp is dedicated to is the latest advancement in holographic technology."

…Ohh. So _that's_ what they did! Sudden realization lit her face, and Seto scowled. Apparently he had presumed too much. It was beyond him how a person could work for a company and not know what they _did_. Never-the-less he motioned for her to come forward, reaching once again into his blazer pocket to draw out the strange deck of cards. Without even a second glance, he handed them to her. But even so, she got the feeling that he was handing her a part of himself. It made her even more nervous, and when she reached to collect them, the tips of her fingers brushed lightly against his palm.

He smiled.

"Just think of this as...a _field test_, of sorts."

And then she was in the air, high above the arena. Apparently she'd stepped forward right onto some sort of lift.

She didn't _like_ heights.

So she concentrated on remaining as still as possible. Lord only knew what would happen if she shook the thing too much. From above, the arena held a ghostly glow, and one could see that the bright stadium lights were only focused on the actual field. The ceiling itself was blue, illustrated with the intricate design of a web which shone in thin white lights. It only served to remind her even more of her present situation.

What kind of test _was_ this? No doubt it was a response to her earlier challenge. She frowned down at his strawberry head, clutching the side of the railing till her knuckles shone white.

"Choose a card." He instructed from below. He had moved to the center of the sidelines, arms crossed, expression suddenly hard. Reluctantly she did so, choosing the first card at the top of the deck.

He watched her expression closely. Whatever she'd expected was definitely not this, and she studied the card in unconcealed curiosity.

"What's the name of it?" he called curtly. There was a short pause. And then-

"..um 'Mystic Elf'," she read, flipping it over to make sure there was nothing on the back. He nodded, attention focused straight ahead.

"Lay the card face up on the 4th square of the first row on the console." And while she searched, sorting his brief instructions, he smiled again.

"Brace yourself Nadia. You've never seen anything like this."

_...whatever. _

She placed the card carefully in the designated spot and waited. Immediately the patterns on the ceiling changed. The web vanished, replaced by thick storm clouds which filled the stadium. The room instantly seemed darker - both metaphorically as well as literally - but she had no time to marvel at this, for a sudden green light had erupted from the field, and as it faded, she could make out the slim figure of a female.

She immediately looked back down at the card. A serene looking blue female graced the illustration, and when she turned back to the field her eyes met with the same person, identical to the very last detail. It was as if the machine had brought the card to life.

She gasped, forgetting momentarily her height phobia and leaning over the railing for a closer look. The woman smiled at her, and her golden blonde hair and dress billowed softly, blown by an unseen wind. A Fairy. That's what she looked like. A fae, straight from a Celtic legend.

_Oh my God…_

Nadie shook her head, suddenly wishing she were on the ground. She wanted to touch this being, pull her hair, see if she were real. She waved a slim hand at the figure, and the woman- the 'Mystic Elf' as her card read- smiled again.

"Amazing, isn't it?," a soft voice below her commented. Wordlessly she nodded. She had forgotten about Seto Kaiba.

"Is..she _alive_?" she croaked, completely enthralled. She could barely recognize her own voice. It was as if she were another person watching the events. Below her, Kaiba gave a low laugh.

"Alive?," he murmured softly, "No. It's only a simulation; a hologram. My virtual arena perfectly duplicates the monsters to a T." While digesting this bit of info, Nadie lifted the card experimentally, and immediately the woman vanished. She placed it down again, and in a flash of green light she was back.

"Can it do this with _anything_?" she asked, and without waiting for an answer she lifted the card, slamming down her hand in its place.

Nothing happened.

But maybe her school I.D. would work. It _was_ a card, after all. She dug in her pocket and slammed it down, fully expecting to see an image of herself materialize on the field.

Nothing happened.

"You _fool!_ It only works on duel monster cards", snapped an irritated Kaiba.

Oh.

Undaunted, she reached for another card, eager to see what awaited. Maybe this time a handsome good-looking male would appear. Eagerly, and without even looking at it, she threw it down, then hurriedly repositioned it when it slid off center to the left. Once more, the irritated voice of Kaiba rang through the air.

"Stop bothering it!" How did she expect the machine to get a proper reading on the card when she kept moving it?

"Sorry…it wasn't quite in the middle of the rectangle thing-"

"It doesn't _have_ to be."

But her enthusiasm was unwavering, and she leaned over the console to get a better look at the forming hologram. Again there was a bright light, and her eyes opened wide, not wanting to miss whatever was that was forming. But what shaped on the field was a far cry from the ethereal elf she'd seen before. This creature was dark and twisted, floating about two feet above the ring and looking as though it had come straight out of a carnival from hell. She looked down at the card and read its name.

'Saagi the Dark Clown.' She immediately didn't like this card. As if sensing her aversion, it gave a sudden shrill laugh, though its painted face remained the same. Below her, Kaiba laughed.

"What's the matter? I take it you don't like my clown? I thought everyone liked them. Doesn't he make you _laugh_?"

She frowned. She had forgotten for a moment whose cards these were. Apparently Kaiba had a sick sense of humor as well as a bad personality. Without answering, she lifted the card abruptly from the field, slipping it at once to the back of the deck and drawing the next one. Below her, Kaiba smirked.

"No?, then maybe this next card will fare better in your eyes.."

She froze.

They way he said it… What if the next card turned out to be even worse than the last? He'd obviously shuffled the deck beforehand. What if he'd purposely planted something horrible next? She glared. He wouldn't lure her into any more of his little mind games. She wouldn't let him. So she skipped the next card up, choosing instead from the center of the deck before slamming down her choice.

Seconds later, a large, shining gold lamp had appeared on the field, and she immediately had visions of Aladdin in her head. Kaiba seemed unperturbed. If anything, he appeared even more amused than before by her obvious deviation.

"Ah. The Mystic Lamp. Did you want to make a wish, Nadia?" He was making fun of her, not at all concerned by her avoidance of the next card. Perhaps his entire deck was filled with dark cards. She looked again at the lamp on the field. A beautiful, exotic, golden lamp. But knowing Kaiba, it probably held something horrible. Nothing had emerged from it, so she guessed the actual genie was a separate card.

She hoped she didn't pull it.

"Draw the next card." The commanding voice of Kaiba met her ears, breaking through her thoughts. He no longer sounded amused. He seemed impatient, irritated by her obvious hesitation.

And suddenly she was angry.

Why was she so afraid?! They were just holograms afterall- 3D images. She was being childish, acting as if they were _real_. She'd draw his stupid card, alright. Draw it, look at it, and then move on. She was onto him. He intended to scare her, humiliate her with sinister looking images. But why should she be afraid of holograms? She pulled the next card, not even bothering to skip this time, and glared down into the forming green light…and then up again. Something was taking shape, something huge and threatening that towered well above her. When the light cleared, a pale blue creature stood before her, wings spread.

Despite herself, she felt her jaw drop.

She looked down at the cards. There the same creature stood, pictured in the illustration above the words, 'Blue Eyes White Dragon'. Such a majestic name. She stared up at the monster, the dragon, who really didn't look very much like any dragon she ever seen. It stared back at her, and something in its cold blue eyes reminded her distinctively of Kaiba; which gave her enough of a reason to be wary.

"Do you like dragons, Nadia?" he asked now, suddenly in that same coldly amused voice. She wasn't sure what to say. How did you tell your boss 'Yes, I like dragons, but not this one because it's ugly and reminds me of you?' She settled for shaking her head, turning back to the monster, which was oddly still.

"A pity. Perhaps you'll take better to the next card. Why don't you just lay it beside the one on the field." She did so, reluctantly, and soon found herself staring at another Blue Eyes, perfectly identical to the first. This one opened its mouth in an unnatural unhinging of its jaw, and let out the most horrific sound she had ever heard. Her ears throbbed, and she stepped back, for a moment forgetting that she was atop the lift.

"Ah. Another Blue Eyes." he didn't even try to feign surprise, just stood in that same proud position, arms crossed, legs together. She glared, biting her lip nervously. They were just holograms - harmless projections, she knew. But still the size alone was intimidating, and for some reason the two dragons seemed a lot closer to her than the other cards had been. Their dark blue eyes stared holes into her as if daring her to make a move so that they could strike, and she had the hair-raising feeling of being stalked by predators. This couldn't be the field test Seto had been talking about. Everything seemed to be working perfectly; no glitches, no malfunctions. It was time to end this.

She turned to stare down at Seto.

"Hey! Is this what we were going to test?"

He gave a short derisive laugh, and despite her former resolution she felt her blood run cold.

_No little Nadie. I think not_. He inclined his head towards the twin dragons. "Before you stand two of the rarest cards in the entire game of duel monsters," his voice had gone soft again, and he pronounced each word in a silky purr. "Tell me, how does it feel to stand before such power?"

She looked again to the dragons, at the sleekly layered scales with their shining armor, to the jointed limbs, neck, and finally the elongated head. Truly magnificent, if not ugly, creatures. But when he spoke of power, was he talking about the dragons or himself?

Still, his question had provoked an irresistible response, and it was with amused eyes that she spoke her answer, throwing his own words back into his face.

"But sir, they have no power. _They're just HOLOGRAMS_."

It was apparently the _wrong_ answer.

His face hardened, his lips drew back in a thin severe line, and his blue eyes narrowed in his face.

"Are they now?", he countered coldly. "Why don't I show you just how 'powerless' a hologram is? _**White Lightening Attack!**_**"**

She'd never considered the monsters having actual power. They were scary, yes. But a hologram couldn't _attack_ you, right?

These could.

She watched in muted terror as the dragons turned towards her, unhinging their jaws and letting out an ear bursting roar before releasing a blue tinged blast. And then-

And then her ears were ringing, eyes temporarily blinded from the saturated light. She rooted clumsily for the railing; the last thing she needed was to fall. But then…_then_-

Then came the wind.

Surely this was real. It _had_ to be. You just couldn't simulate something like wind. Not like this, with the pounding, driving force of a small typhoon. She screamed, but the noise was drowned out by the sound of the emulated explosion.

And then she was falling.

_It s only a simulation. My virtual stadium perfectly duplicates down to a T_.

The world slowed.

_How does it feel to stand before such power?_ It didn't feel good. She would hit the ground...maybe even break her neck.

Vaguely to her returning senses, she could make out the roar of a crowd, and suddenly the stands were filled with people. Hundreds and hundreds of blurry, distorted people chanting from an ancient, long dead language. And below her, standing tall and proud in exotic flowing robes stood Seto, with arms stretched wide to catch her.

O


	5. Shattered

First I want to apologize for the 6 year hiatus. This chapter, strangely enough, has been a little over halfway complete since late 2003, but for some reason, (as with most of my fics) I was really stuck with this particular one. In fact, if I could redo this whole fic, I'd do a _lot_ of things differently; in particular make the characters older. But in honor of my younger self, and for all you readers who have stuck with this fic throughout the years, I've decided to just let the fic stay as I'd originally planned it. Thank you all for your support and kind words of encouragement, and I will endeavor to work on this fic until it is complete. ^^

_The man was stiff and formal,  
Just like his ice cold smile.  
He watched the children run and play,  
He watched them for a while. _

_He finally spotted one boy,  
so distant and alone,  
doing his favorite past-time,  
playing a game all on his own. _

_The man approached the little boy and asked him for a game.  
"If you defeat me in a match, I'll give you my last name."  
The man was easily beaten. The boy impressed him so,  
he told the child to get his things, "it's time for us to go.."_

"_You'll have all you ever wanted; good food and lots of toys,  
loyal servants at your beck and call, you'll be the RICHEST boy." _

…_but that wasn't what he wanted; not nearly, not at all.  
The thing he wanted most in life would never come to call.  
That part of life had left him, new chapters had begun.  
And as the boy stepped in the car, he couldn't feel the sun.  
The windows all were tinted, the colors black and bold--_

_He didn't realize on that day that he had sold his soul._

o

_He dreamt of Egypt._

_Of that ancient golden paradise from long ago. Not the slum filled pit it was today, but the Egypt from millennia ago, when it's Gods were still Gods, and it's Temples still beautiful and sacred. The brustle of traders, the dry stale heat, the merciless sun, and the faint, heady scent of incense and sweat…_

o

It started off perfectly normal, the day Seto's life began to change.

It was on a Friday, his least favorite day of the week. In fact, if Seto had known the repercussions of what this particular Friday would bring, he probably would have stayed in bed.

Well, maybe not.

Seto Kaiba was not one to run away from _anything_; especially something as ridiculously _unreal_ as fate. He glared, at nothing in particular. But there was something he felt he'd forgotten. Something he was supposed to remember, or thought he ought to, anyway.

Seto Kaiba _hated_ not being able to recall something.

And so his normal Friday morning turned sour, and he spent most of the morning snapping at the maids, who for some reason seemed even more silly and ill suited than normal for their jobs, so that by the time his limo pulled up to the school entrance, he was thoroughly exasperated with the world in general.

The classroom was already partially filled with students clustered in groups around desks, watching mock duel matches. He didn't even bother to glance over. Their matches were so trivial, so…_childishly amateur_ that he had no interest in them whatsoever. Not a world champion duelist like himself, anyway.

Almost without his realizing, his eyes slid across the room. To _her_ desk.

It was empty.

His face contorted into a scowl. _Of course_ it was empty. She hadn't been in very good shape yesterday, after all. It should come as no surprise that she wasn't in school today. Actually he didn't expect to see her again. Not at work anyway.

_Work_.

It brought back a surge of sudden images that played within his mind. He remembered the precise moment she fell. The look on her face right _before_ she fell. It was a look of absolute terror. And something else. Something, as she'd stared up at the dragons, that looked akin to revulsion.

But even stranger, as he had stood there watching, morbidly fascinated by that trembling figure, something clicked. Some realization, some eerie sense of déjà vu. As though he had experienced a similar scene before somehow-

_Damned girl!_

It was something he hadn't prepared for, her falling, and he'd found himself cursing when she'd pitched suddenly backwards and off the lift. He'd acted fast; Seto Kaiba was not one to lose his cool upon the unexpected. Did the only thing he _could_ do.

_He'd caught her._

_Opened his arms, spread his legs, and steeled himself as much as he could for the impact…_

He was brought back to the present by the scrape of chairs against linoleum. The bell had rung, and students were making a mad dash to get to their seats before the instructor entered.

And that's when he felt it. The raise of the hair at the back of his neck, a chill that brought something like a sprinkling of goose bumps along his skin. It was the first of many occasions he would come to recognize in the future. He turned, without knowing exactly _why, _and glanced casually over his shoulders in the direction behind him.

And straight into the eyes of one Ryou Bakura. Only now the eyes were less fatuous, less…childish and dreamy than usual. The normally wide eyes were narrowed, slightly thoughtful.

Seto glared, fully expecting those doe-ish brown eyes to shy away-

_They didn't. _

They changed. No longer did they resemble something out of a Disney cartoon. Now they were different. Now something flashed within them, something dark and-

A girl dashed in front of him, plopping in a seat and effectively hiding the platinum blond from view.

And he felt as though he had been released from some suffocating hold. The icy pin-pricks vanished from his neck, just as the instructor entered, casting a disapproving glare around at the decidedly angelic students.

_What the hell…?_

But the students were rising and there was no time to dwell on it as Seto pushed back his chair and stood with the rest of the class. Minutes later they were being dismissed to first period, and he pushed the incident from his mind. He had better things to do than to dwell on weird, foreign, freaks with unkempt hair. _Both_ of them.

Both foreign, he thought. _Foreign_.

Interesting that they should get two foreigners, both from English speaking countries in the same classroom. Usually the administration tried to distribute foreign exchange students and transfers evenly about, so that every classroom had the chance to experience the different cultures. Assigning two students from English speaking countries to the same homeroom was quite the coincidence, he thought absently. Moreover, having two students transfer mid-year, as they had, was odd unto itself. He grabbed his bag, turned with military precision and marched swiftly out the door.

The remainder of the day passed quickly.

Once again he found himself drifting, his mind slipping unwarranted back to that afternoon, back to…to-

_The girl in his arms. _

To that wild mop of curls thrown in his face, in his eyes so that momentarily he'd been blinded. And the impact. The abruptness of her fall hadn't given him much, if any time to brace himself, and her bulleting form had barreled into him, knocking the wind out of him and sending them both crashing to the hard tiled floor. They'd stayed like that for an eternity it seemed, with him trying to regain the breath and feeling to his body. The sudden impact with the ground had momentarily stunned him as he had taken the brunt of the fall. And the girl lying atop him wasn't helping either. She had been dead weight, unmoving- he hadn't even been sure if she were breathing.

_Great…_

With some difficulty he had hauled himself to a sitting position. The girl slid limply to his lap. There was a sharp pain in his left shoulder, which had been the first to strike the floor upon their fall. In fact, his entire left side had been throbbing.

_Shit. Just what I need..._

With a dark glower he'd turned to the girl-

And immediately frowned.

He'd thought her unconscious- she had been silent for so long and unmoving- but her eyes were wide open and staring straight back up at him.

No, not _at_ him, he'd realized with mild trepidation,_through him_. As if he wasn't even _there_. The normally bright eyes had been dull and glassy, and the fear that had danced inside of them not even moments before was now gone, replaced by-

_Nothing._

_It was as if she had been an empty doll, void of emotions. The complete opposite of what she had been earlier that day in class—_

Before he knew it, the school day was over, though what the instructors had said, what lessons they'd taught, completely escaped him. He gave a sharp curse of irritation. He hated not being alert. What was wrong with him today? The past seven hours had gone to hell in a hand basket, but at least it was almost over. All too soon he was in his office, behind the beautiful redwood desk that had once belonged to his late adopted father. If nothing else, the man had had good taste. Actually, the desk was one of the very few things he'd decided to keep of the old man's, with its smooth and glossy finish. Sometimes he would gaze down into that deep red wood, gaze at the reflection that stared stonily back. Each item on it was strategically placed, from the carefully positioned fountain pen, to the black stapler placed horizontally from the edge of his desk. Even the telephone, which he was currently using to speak with his lawyer, sat neatly to his left. Apparently some upstart company was attempting to create their own version of his dueling arena, and he wanted the generic project _stopped_.

"I don't care _what_ you have to do!," he raged furiously into the phone, "Anything necessary…_just get it stopped!_ This is the sort of thing I pay you for, _isn't it?_ So then do your job. There are copyright infringement rules that prohibit-" he stopped, eyes narrowed. And then,

"I'll call you back, Kenji." He hung up. Stared expectantly towards the doorway to the person who had only halfway entered.

She actually looked professional today, he mused. Black pencil skirt, bleached white blouse, and a pair of low heeled shoes that were faintly glossed. But then again she hadn't been in school today. She would of course have time to change her cloths, to arrive without looking winded and red-faced. Though, he noted, staring with distaste at that mop of unruly hair, she could have done something more; perhaps run a brush through it or something. He liked for things to be straight and orderly, not wild and…curly. And there was something about her expression that he didn't like. Something distinctly childlike and vulnerable that was acutely distinguishable from others. Seeing her as such, it was quite obvious she wasn't from this cut-throat world of business. He frowned.

There was a pregnant pause as he silently assessed her. Was she nervous? Wondering perhaps if he would fire her? Truthfully he didn't know what he'd do. She'd surprised him in even showing up, honestly, and he had assumed he had seen the last of her. He frowned, at an uncharacteristic loss.

"You're early." He said finally. Hn. For once. The clock on his desk read 3:54.

"I know," she replied simply, and he couldn't gauge anything from that answer. It was merely spoken, not said in any particular manner. His frown deepened. Something was different about her, but he had no idea what.

"I'm not letting you on my clock until four exactly."

"Did you want me to wait outside?" this was said quietly, softly, without any undertone of emotion, and the snarky reply he'd had ready, the "why don't you go home and not come back", dissipated as he finally spotted what was so different.

He had yet to see her eyes.

Her body was facing him, her head even, but her eyes were turned, attention focused on the wall to the far left. He hadn't realized her eyes were so…_telling_. Without looking into them, he was unable to read her, and her expression was so guarded that it revealed nothing. But, it wasn't just her eyes, though they added a great deal. There was something else, something he couldn't put his finger on-

He straightened in his chair.

"I see you decided to actually look presentable today," he commented finally. She didn't reply. "This," Seto continued, "is what I expect to see when you walk into my office. _Not _the school girl. This is a place of business, not a classroom. I won't tolerate inappropriate attire. Do you understand, Ms. Epps?"

"Yes, Mr. Kaiba."

He narrowed his eyes in sudden realization. He knew now what was wrong with her, the expressionless look on her face, the emotionless answer. He _knew_ that expression, knew it all too well—

She was broken.

The word almost seemed foreign in context to this girl, this weird foreigner who'd seemed so excited about….about what exactly? He _still_ didn't know. Or maybe it wasn't anything specific at all, a voice reasoned inside him. Maybe…probably it was something as simple as the sensation of living? _HA!_ It was laughable, that. And it made no sense…no sense at all! He had no idea where the idea had even come from. Perhaps some ghostly recollection of the days when he _himself_ had felt that feeling. Back during a time before-

He glared across the desk at the girl. _Damn her for making him remember!_ How _dare_ she dredge up those memories? _**How dare she? **_His eyes hardened; his hands clutched into fists. He wanted her out of his sight, saying the first thing that came to his mind and sending her hurrying away.

The rest of the day passed uneventfully. Most of the time she was out, making copies, faxing, shredding, delivery this or that to a person. He sent her on menial tasks, not really even caring if she got them done. As long as she was away from him, as long as he didn't have to _look_ at her… He knew it wasn't solving the problem. He'd have to deal with her eventually. He'd fire her the next time she came in, he told himself. He didn't want to look into that face, to be reminded of his past of that time before the orphanage.

But every time she appeared, every time she picked up a stack of papers to fax or deliver to the mail room, he found his mouth sealed shut, simply watching. Neither of them made any mention of what had happened the previous day. They didn't speak, beyond the curtly given instructions he gave. It was an unspoken agreement between them; a sort of 'I won't mention it if you won't.' But it hung in the air between them, thick and brooding. Once, when she'd come in to gather more papers from his desk, he'd thought he'd felt her watching him. But when he'd glanced up from his computer, she was already shuffling away, out the door.

At 7:15 he sent her away, on a break. She left the room without a word.

She returned at 7:43, face flushed and hair windblown, looking for all the world as though she had run the whole way there. He wondered what sort of transportation, if any, she used. Sometime around 10:30 it started to rain, and by 11:03 it had become a steady shower. It trickled down the Stetson windows behind him, making the room sparkle like a champagne glass. The streets below were quiet, and most of the workers had already left. She still hadn't spoken though, and he wondered if she was aware of the time.

It was 11:17 when he decided to let her go. She stood slowly, replacing the files in their designated drawers and grabbing her coat.

"I'll probably have your check printed tomorrow, so be here at 8am if you want it." It was an afterthought for him, something he had barely given thought to, but the girl stopped in her tracks, turning back to him with a frozen expression.

"..check?" it was the first word she'd spoken in hours. Her throat sounded hoarse. She stared blankly back at him from the door. He continued to type, annoyed, not bothering to look up.

"Normally the employees are paid bi-weekly, via direct deposit, but since you started during the odd week and don't yet have a bank, you'll be paid by check this one time. Is there a problem?" His tone suggested he could care less if there was.

"No- I…just wasn't expecting to be paid so…_soon_." Her voice didn't sound quite so empty anymore, but the prospect of money did that to anyone. He felt a smug sort of satisfaction knowing that even _she_ wasn't immune to its power.

"Don't get used to it," he retorted sharply. "And get the hell out of my office. You're off the clock."

The door clicked shut. Moments later he heard the hum of the elevator and then silence.

At 11:35 he decided to leave. He had to be back in six hours for the beta testing of his newest prototype, and after that, there was no telling what time he'd be able to get back home. So after calling his driver, he shut down his computer, slipped into his coat, grabbed his briefcase, and locked the door.

He was in the lobby when he saw the figure out front. Silhouetted against the shine of the streetlight, she looked even smaller and more pathetic than he'd remembered.

The image of her falling, of her empty, sobbing form, came once again to the forefront of his mind.

But by the time he reached the front doors, the figure was gone.

O

A/N: I hope this chapter was worth the wait. One of the things I hate the most is when an author has an unexpected lapse in updates (like me…) and then when they DO pick up on the story, the chapter is anti-climatic and relatively dull. It drives me NUTS, though I know it can't be helped, as transitional chapters are NEEDED to make the story flow properly. It can't all be excitement and drama. In the mean time, expect to see more of Ryou in the coming chapters, and perhaps more of Nadia's family, as not much has been said in regards to it.

On another note, I hope you guys will check out my profile page. (I've got some news on there!) I also wanted you all to know that I'll be starting a new Seto fic in the near future, although this one will feature a considerably older Seto. (I'm thinking around 25 or so) I hope you guys will read it, though I certainly won't be neglecting this fic, either. The idea actually came to me WHILE I was working on this fic.

Please review and tell me what you think! I always love to hear your thoughts!


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